How Legalizing Marijuana Could Help California Address Drought

There are many arguments for legalizing marijuana, but in California none may be more critical than the environmental one

A flight over Mendocino County puts California’s drought into stark perspective. You soar over arid hills, browning trees and bone-dry riverbeds. As the state continues to battle the drought and its effects, its leaders are considering every possible means to cut water usage, but there’s an obvious culprit that could merit a closer look: marijuana.

Fully legalizing marijuana production for all uses — rather than only permitting people to grow up to six plants for private medical use — would allow the state to regulate the drug more closely, and that would include a serious crackdown on water usage.